If Scales could Talk

AOL Journals going Bye-Bye

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:26:55 GMT

Here's the official notice:

Dear AOL Journals user,

We're sorry to inform you that on Oct. 31, 2008, AOL® Journals will be shut down permanently. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

It is very important that you save your Journals content before the shutdown. We're working on a way to easily move your Journal to another blogging service -- you can expect an email within the next week with more details about how to do it. We want the transition to go as smoothly as possible for you, so you'll have two choices. You can either save your information manually and find another place to blog on your own, or let us handle the migration for you and automatically transfer your Journal to a different blogging service.

In the meantime, please bookmark the People Connection Blog, where you can find out more about AOL Journals. You can also subscribe to the People Connection Blog RSS feed to stay informed about any changes. We'll be updating the People Connection Blog often, so please check it regularly.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make this transition. We look forward to getting your blog settled into its new home.

Sincerely,

The AOL Journals Team

Economic Crisis

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:06:05 GMT

I have kept politics out of this journal because I know that it's a no-no topic to keep friends ... but in this case I think we all have the right to be informed on what's going on & who has caused what. Ya see, over the weekend I found this YouTube video (not the one above) where someone took more time than I have to do the research on who is truly at fault for our economic crisis that our country is facing. Anyway ... late this afternoon I found an article stating the video was removed by democratic supporters who believe the Obama Truth Squad should come in & sweep "lies" under the rug. The only problem with the "lies" statement is that all the evidence in the video is backed up by simple google searches. Well, I went back to the article to show my DH what I found, only to find that the article had been modified to say that the video was pulled because the author of the video did not have legal rights to the music. Come on ... how many YouTube videos have you watched? Do you think they are pulling those videos? No ... but they have pulled several ... even one of John McCains that was "lies" was pulled early this morning.

Anyway, the author of the video that was pulled simply re posted his video with slight modifications. His old one reached 1.2 million views in only 4 days (all positive views I must add). How many views will this one reach before it is pulled because of some bogus claim?

How far is this going to go? Don't we as Americans have the right to speak what we wish? Why is the truth so hard to swallow? As I type this ... law enforcement agencies are in MO pulling any & all ads that "LIE" against Obama! What about his own false ads? The Obama camp is also in Ohio going to homeless shelters & colleges busing anyone they can to register & vote on the spot. As far as I can find ... this is an illegal practice. When you register to vote that information is taken to the county court house and then it is processed to make for sure you are eligible to vote. By eligible I mean you can not be a felon, you can't be registered more than once, you can not be homeless, etc. Once your information is verified you are mailed a voter registration card. You are to take this card with you when you vote. If you are unable to vote on election day due to being overseas (soldiers and such) you can opt for a absentee ballot. Did you know that absentee ballots aren't counted unless the race is very close? That's right! From what I have gathered ... the party who is behind can ask for certain counties to be counted. The reasoning? If they pick the county then they can pick the counties that are heavily voting for that said party. This is what happened in the 2000 election with Bush/Gore.

I'm not telling you who to vote for ... I'm just asking you to be informed! There are a lot of great sources everywhere but the one I have found to be MOST honest on both sides is www.factcheck.org .

Birthday Update

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:04:58 GMT

So yesterday started off slow as DH had to work the night before & was exhausted, DD was at riding lessons, and DS was here with me doing his school work. The little booger took every opportunity to get away from school work by showering me with hugs and kisses. I didn't get upset over it though ... sometimes I can't be such a hard ars teacher.

So I picked DD up from riding lessons & she tells me that I had three calls to wish me happy birthday ... one was my mom which was a little bit of a shocker, the next one was my dad and the third one came up private so I'm thinking it might have been Lisa. If it was thank you for calling me Lisa ... sorry I missed your call.

Anyway, called mom back ... she sang happy birthday to me. Started telling me how my niece has been sick this past week. Come to find out she took my 10 yr. old niece in to get the cervical cancer shot. I thought you had to be at least 11 for this shot. Oh well, I voiced my concerns with her & she assured me that my niece would be just fine cause her ex is a nurse & looked into it. My question is ... why does a 10 year old need to have these shots so young ... what's the rush to make her grow up?

Called my dad back ... I think he's about to pick up & move again. He hasn't really flat out said he was but usually when he starts taking a lot of vacation time that's what it means & this is his second vacation in less than 2 months time. Business is slow right now so he said he could use the time off. I know he works hard during the summer months and things always slow down in the winter months but come on ... he hasn't done this since he's been living here but this is what he did when he was considering moving here. Visited us 3 times in 3 months! I'm a little sad by this cause I have loved my dad living so close ... when dad leaves that means my brother will be following him shortly after. =(

Anyway, hung up with dad and my baby brother called to wish me happy birthday. I love that kid. He's not really a kid anymore but he is 9 years younger than me so he's a kid. =) He seems happy that dad is going out of town cause that means he gets to be boss while he's gone. Who doesn't want to be boss for a little while right?!

Anyway, hubby woke up ... came out in his undies singing happy birthday to me ... yes it was funny but after everything I had heard on the phone laughter is just what I needed. He took me out to lunch .. Primos ... I ordered what I thought would be a healthy mean, a sandwich with potato salad. What I got was a fried mess! I couldn't eat it all cause I couldn't really swallow the food. It was called a Monte Cristo ... the board said it was a warm ham & swiss sandwhich ... what it didn't say was that it was deep fried on french toast & sprinkled with powdered sugar & cranberry sauce on the side. Now if I wanted french toast I would have ordered that ... but I didn't. Oh well, it was a new place that we wanted to try out ... one we won't be going back to.

After lunch DH took me shopping ... told me I could buy whatever I wanted. It's not that he didn't know what to get me ... it's the fact that I have been telling him for months not to get me anything at all. I just wanted a nice sit down dinner with him & the kids. I mean it is just another day in my life. I'm not sad by turning another year older ... I don't even hide my age from people. I'm proud to be 36!!! I have never freaked out by my age. Why do some people do that? Age is just a number right? You're only as old as you feel. I feel like I'm in my late 20's so it's all good as far as I'm concerned.

So I bought lots of clothes! =) I love clothes but I'm really picky with what I buy. I went to Victoria's Secret for a new shirt, sweats, and a bra ... I love the color PINK and they had tons of pink in so I had fun. Then I went to Kolhs but didn't find anything that I likes, Ross ... nothing ... was thirsty so we stopped in Target & I found clothes. 2 beautiful shirts & a pair of casual pants. I don't have many of those. Jeans or sweats is my usual attire but every once in a while I look like I'm dressed to impress. Not often, but sometimes. =) Took the kids to the book store ... I was sure there was a book I wanted but honestly as soon as I saw the shelves of books I couldn't remember the name of even one book or author that I wanted. As I was walking out the door I though ooooh Nicholas Sparks ... his newest doesn't come out until Monday & I already have it on pre-order.

I was tired from shopping so we came back to the house. DH started dinner ... home made Chinese sweet & sour chicken with white rice & broccoli. Yummmmmmmy! The for desert he made angel food cake. We were gonna have fresh strawberries on it but it was so good alone that we didn't add a thing to it.

DH had to go into work but that was ok ... CBS had a present for me SURVIVOR!!!!!! =) It's one of my favorite shows. Looks like it could be a good season this year.

So that was my day. Nothing exciting but it was fun.

Oh ... my girlfriend in TN called me. She NEVER calls me unless she has a problem that she needs me to help her work through ... she called me just to wish me a happy birthday. It was so good to hear from her & it be because of me. You just don't know how draining it can be when a friend only calls when they need something & never call to just say HI... how are you doing?

Birthday Wishes!

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:40:38 GMT

I'm still around just been busy with teaching the kids, spending time with DH before he heads off to 3rd shift, running errands, trying to not go on an eating binge. Thankfully ... despite not doing more than walking 4-6 days a week (1.5 miles) with DH and not sticking to any diet I have managed to hold my own with my weight. After 5 weeks of not weighing in I found that I have gained less than 1 pound. I was shocked but so darn happy. Maybe there is something to not stressing over the weight.

Anyway, today is my birthday & I've already had some great b-day cards sent to me. Thank you so much to all of you who remembered my day. It makes me feel so warm to know I have friends like you!

<-- Love it Joyce!

Also thank you to Lisa, Margie, & John who sent birthday cards snail mail style.

Gustav

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:53:29 GMT

Just a quick entry ... I have family coming in this morning from Louisianna. They live right on the gulf coast & were told to evacuate or deal with what ever the hurricane brings. Thankfully my family has level heads. Some of my family is heading to Mississippi to stay with other family ... others are coming here cause we're love more. he he he Naw, I'm just kidding ... we have a little more room here to accomidate them. My uncle is bringing his wife, 3 kids & the one kids' boyfriend. Thier a little older ... It's been a while since I've seen my aunt & uncle but I'm thinking their kids are between 16-25 years of age. Their staying with my dad & brother who live in town & then they'll be coming out here for dinner today. We have more room for people to move around and sit.

In other news ... I didn't exercise yesterday or probably today but I have every intention on watching my portions. I'm hoping I'll get in some cardio tomorrow even though I'll have family over & it's a holiday. No school for the kids ... their excited about that not to mention DH gets a paid vacation day. Who hoo!!!

The 9" Diet

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:48:28 GMT

The easiest thing you can do to save on calories is to change the size of your plate. The idea is that your plate will look fuller, and you'll eat fewer calories. I actually think this is a really good piece of advice. I myself have switched over to my salad plates after realizing my dinner plates are so large that they don;t fit in my dishwasher.

There's a new book coming out called the 9-inch diet. Two authors have colaborated their knowledge to help us fatties out. he he he "The 9-Inch Diet."

Obviously you don't need to read an entire book to understand how using a smaller plate may reduce your portion sizes, there has to be more to the diet than that. I may just have to pick up this book to add to my collection.

I'm intrigued. It might be worth a read just to find out how we're being duped into overeating, but I can't imagine that, as far as diet advice goes, they've got anything new to share.

Have you tried using a smaller plate or bowl? Did it work for you? Would you be willing to change the size of your dinner plate to shave off some calories? I'm interested in knowing.

A little bump & grind

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:45:08 GMT

I had wanted to get this when it first came out back in the days of the Grind. Today this tape is a little outdated but still fun. Eric is a little cheesy (yo yo yo!) but I still think he's cute! Tina Landon is awesome, altho her hair is really scary in this video. The moves are not too advanced but still fun for more experienced dancers. The thing I didn't like about this video (which is a common problem in workout videos) is that a lot of times when you're trying to watch what they're doing, they cut to a shot of someone's face for way too long and you miss the moves. But overall it's a fun tape, it got me moving & burning calories, also there are some basic yoga stretches at the end if you are interested in yoga. I don't think the warm-up should be as long as it is cause within the first 5 minutes I was warmed up & ready to go but they didn't get into the real dancing for another 10 minutes. Any video that has a 15 min warm-up is to long especially when the workout is pretty low impact.

I only got it for a $1 and the dance moves once you get them are fun & energetic ... I like out of the norm moves, their funky, their fresh ... it's old school! =) I think anyone who likes to dance and can get past the warm-up (fast forward ... I do) then you'll probably like this video.

Video of the Day

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:16:38 GMT

I picked up this video as a lot sale on ebay. 28 videos for like $20 + S&h. Great deal. The lot was VHS tapes so I was worried that not many would turn out good let alone in great shape. This video is AMAZING!!!

Being a not so skinny gal, I want a workout that will help me get good muscle tone and shed the flab. This video definitely delivered! The video starts out with about a 10 minute warm-up. I found the warm-up to be a little too long. After the warm-up, the video goes into the aerobic interval segments. First you do the low-impact aerobic steps, then you go to your weights. Then back to aerobic steps, then back to weights, and so on... The steps in this video are very easy to learn. I am very coordinated so the moves were a piece of cake for me. I would have to say even for the uncoordinated lady after about six times through the steps you'll pretty well have them memorized. The weights in the workout really help tone your arms. The participants in the video used small hand weights -- 2 to 5 pounds -- but I can see advancing to 10- pound weights quickly.

After the main part of the aerobics and weights, there is a section doing various types of squats. One of the squats were very hard on my knees, but I normally have knee problems. I think that section of squats should be re-evaluated. I ended up modifying that section of the squats. I have to remember that this is a video from the late 90's & things have really changed since then.

As I have progressed and used this video more and more, I've had to modify the video to make it more difficult for myself. During the squats -- in addition to modifying the section of squats that hurt my knees -- I added weights and adjusted the number of reps I do. Another great way to make the squats more intense is to jump up out of the squat. BIOMETRICS baby! =) Sure to be a butt burner ... firmer!

The video ends with abdominals. These exercises killed me when I first did them, but I as I progressed they became easier. As you progress if you really focus of the muscles then you can still get an amazing abdominal workout in. The key is to ALWAYS focus on the muscle being worked. If you need more then the video allows ... do more.

This video is good for beginners and intermediate exercisers. If you areadvanced, you will have to modify this video to make it more challenging.

The only real drawbacks to this video are the one section of squats that I mentioned earlier, and also, I think that after a while, the moves to this video become very monotnous and boring. I get bored easily though, that's why I change up my videos every day.

Overall, I am giving this video four stars. It will definitely help you get into shape and tone your body. If you are new to exercising, this workout will definitely make you sweat. It is also very good that weights are used because they really help to tone your arm muscles. Plus, they say that using weights increases metabolism more than just cardio alone.

Great for beginners/intermediate. ...

You can find this on ebay or Amazon.com for pennies. It's a great buy!

Exciting WI

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:48:55 GMT

OMG ... I have been so scared to step on the scale cause I haven't been folling my plan at all, just using portion control & skipping those snacks right before bed time. This morning I realized I needed to step on the scale & face the music ... sweet music. 196.2 ... this is a 4 pound loss for the month and a 15.7 loss since the beginning of May when I visited my doctor. Now I realize 3 months & 15 pounds isn't amazing progress for those of you who can lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks to a month but for me this is amazing progress cause I don't believe in starving myself, I don't believe in taking in less than 1200 calories a day, & I also believe that if I work out extremely hard then I do have to eat more food.

This weigh in is also a surprise to me since TOM should be here any second. I'm offically 4 days late ... every month gets later & later. Last month I was 7 days late ... I know it's to early for premetopause ... I'm not even 36 yet! Is this normal? I don't know ... I don't have female friends around here that I can ask cause either I dont' feel close enough to ask them such a personal question or most/all of their plumbing is gone so it's a mute question. I don't know what's normal, I've never really had a regular cycle & my doctor told me that's why it was so hard for me to conceive in the first place. TOM didn't visit me until I was 15 and it only happend 1 time more until I was 16. I didn't get regular until after I had my daughter ... now my body is going wacko again! Who knows!!!

Ok, so I'm headed to the grocery store ... getting back on plan tomorrow morning so I have to have all healthy foods for me to nosh on.

Update: I'm doing pretty good with my food today although I'm toticing I'm craving starchy foods. Went shopping and all I was heading for was peas ... corn ... potatoes. (Oh no. If it wasn't on my list, I didn't buy it.)

DH & I went for a walk late this morning ... it was so darn humid from all the rain yesterday & lack there of this morning. As soon as we hit our drive the rain started up again. It cooled it down while it lasted, it's now super hot again.

Taking the kids to the movies tonight. It's on post so it's super cheap. $1.50 for each child & $2.50 a piece for DH & I. We're gonna watch Journey of the Center of the Earth. The kids have read the book & loved it ... was gonna rent the movie when the kids saw the new one coming out so instead of renting the old version we decided to take them to the new version. I think they will like it as much as the book.

Food wise: B= 4 tiny biscuits (equal 2 regular size), 2 cups of coffee, 2 cups of water. L= small bowl of shredded wheat, 2 cups of water. S: 10 peanut m&m's <-- had to give in to the craving but kept it to a single portion. D= 3 oz steak, 1/2 sweet potatoes, 1/2 c broccoli, 4 cups of water. S= 7 baby carrots & 2 TB of home made hummus. 2 cups water.

Going to BollyWood

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:01:43 GMT

I know it is a workout dvd, how can it be fun!? But really, Hemalyaa (and please dont ask me how to pronounce that name. I have no idea, sadly.) approaches the workout as playtime and makes the individual segments very enjoyable. The time just seems to fly by which is especially weird for an exercise dvd!

The dance "playtime" is exactly what you would expect to see in a Bollywood film. It combines hip-hop, basic belly dance, and just plain fun body movement to form a style that looks execptionally easy and fun- when Hemalyaa does it, not me. I probably look like a floundering chicken. But I dont care! I still had fun and it was a definite workout particulary in the upper thighs.

The choreography goes fast but is pretty well explained and they always redo all of the movements, so even when you feel like you have no idea what you are supposed to be doing the dancers will suddenly go back to moves that you have already mastered. Sometimes it is just fun to watch them dance for a minute- and I say that not just because I was slacking for that minute! =D

I needed something fresh from all of my other workout videos & since I love to dance & I had already tried my hand at this type of workout from a TV show on the fitness channel I figured I would love this & I do!

Food wise ... hmmm, not great but not horrible. I had cream of wheat for breakfast with 2 cups of coffee. Lunch was a quick bowl of cereal, snack was a 140 calories snack bar & dinner is going to be chicken curry & rice. Not many calories ... just not hungry. I guess TOM will show his nasty little face any minute since I'm not craving sweets now.

We have a storm coming in so I guess I need to be closing up shop for the night. No rain yet but a lot of wind. I'm praying the neighbors tree doen't blow over into our house. I feel for them if it does cause DH has been on the rental company to trim the trees back & they keep telling us the owner doesn't see the need for it. The last time he spoke with the rental company he said make a note in your records that if a tree falls on my house I will be sueing the owner for damages that could have been avoided.

5 pm --> <-- We ARE NOT in the little red box. We are on the very left tip of green in Alabama. Like I said ... so far just a lot of wind, no rain which we desperatly need. The forcast is calling for a lot of rain for the next 5 days. I hope it doesn't skip us.

7pm -->